N.e.a. Convention Fails to Act on Tour Ban Against Jewish Teachers

A move to force the National Education Association to withdraw sponsorship of four world tours from which Jewish teachers were banned because Arab countries which were included on the itinerary refused to admit them on religious ground, failed this week-end as the 94th annual convention of the largest and most important teachers’ group in the United States closed here.

The attempt to get the NEA to withdraw from the tours came to naught when a New York State delegation requested that the convention resolutions committee go on record as opposing sponsorship of the discriminatory tours was ignored. However, the resolutions committee promised to bring the matter to the attention of the NEA board of directors in the fall.

NEA sponsorship of the tours drew protests from major Jewish and liberal groups since it was revealed that teachers applying for the tours which would visit the Arab countries had been asked to bring statements from clergymen to the effect that the applicants were not Jewish.